We are surrounded with millions of sounds everyday wherever we are. Crowded markets, car signals, birds singing and so on and so forth. But only some of this sounds are pleasant for us. So we can define the music like some art to mix sounds and rhythms into a certain composition. But that is just a dry, austere definition that does not help one to understand what role music plays in the modern world and what role it used to play before.
Philip Alperson (2010) consider music to be the universal language, the language of emotions in one of his books, and I willingly deal this viewpoint. Since the ancient times people tried to find any way to communicate, share information and thoughts. Certain sounds served for some orders and signs, but later more complicated mixes were used as a way to explain one’s ideas, emotions and feelings. Some primitive instruments were used at the beginning, like any sticks, stones, wood. The more society developed, the more music seemed to become a kind of art, not the way to share information. As a result, music was interlaced with human life even though the community did not really need it. But there was a valid reason for it – our soul needed it.
Speaking about music, I would like to notice, that is one of the easiest and most popular ways to have some rest and relax after a difficult day nowadays. Susan D. Crafts, Daniel Cavicchi and Charles Keil (1993) researched the music in daily life, and their thoughts on this topic are really impressive. We hear musical compositions on the radio and in movies, the record songs with the help of different gadgets every day, go to the clubs to listen to it and dance, and do not even make ourselves to realize why we do it and what for.
However, everyone defines music in a different way. But I can suppose that for all of us in some situations music is a remedy for loneliness. The 21th century is a century of friendly technologies and indifferent people, so our generation feels lonely oftener than our parents or grandparents did. Did you notice that people use music like a background? I am sure you did. There is musical accompaniment in supermarkets and centers of entertainment, almost all the shops and restaurants. It helps to create an illusion that we are joined with someone or something who treats and understands us. When we stay in traffic jams it is a common thing we do – turn on the radio to hear someone’s voice. If people stay in silence for too long they start getting nervous and irritated. There is no doubt you can say that we need silence sometimes, and that is true, but it is annoying when lasts too long. The sounds of voices and instruments full the space inside us and force sad and pessimistic thoughts out of our minds, give a chance to take everything easier, forget about prosy problems for some period of time.
One more definition of music is described by Kathleen Marie Higgins (2012) is one of her books. It helps to unite people of any age, race, gender and religion. There are a lot of examples of this function the music does, but the brightest one is dancing. It is a popular thing nowadays to gather many people together and teach them a certain dance. It does not have to be complicated, just a number of common moves that are made by strange people and accompanied with a musical composition. The main aim of such performances is to show the unity despite of different languages we speak, gods we believe and cultures we represent. Actually, the situation we can watch in dancing clubs is alike. The rhythms of music makes us move, jump, curve and share positive emotions with people which surround us despite of the fact we even do know each other.
Nevertheless, everything that is helpful or entertaining for some people is a way to make money for others. So we can confidently state that music is a business. To make good music the musicians need a place to do it, good instruments and a studio where to record compositions. All these things need money and promotion. The art of making music involves so many people, that it turns into business with time. Tad Lathrop (2003) explored this side of music attentively and shared his thoughts researches in his book “This Business of Music Marketing & Promotion”.
It has no sense to deny that live music presents people with a storm of emotions and impressions. We dream to attend concerts of our favorite musicians since childhood, save money to do it, do not we? Good music like any good art needs big money. They are shared between people who make musical compositions, record them, promote, make schedules of concerts, give places for repetitions and live performances and so on. So one more definition of music is work. Everything that needs forces should be payed.
All in all, it is evident how important music is in our life, its role can be hardly exaggerated. It is important for both those people who make it and those who just listen to, and everyone defines what music is in a different way. It can we hobby, business, background, the way to relax or even an opportunity to learn a foreign language. There are people which consider music to be just a kind of noise though.
Anyway, we have to recognize and accept the fact that music is accurately a part of human life.
References
Philip Alperson. 2010. What Is Music? An Introduction to the Philosophy of Music. The Pennsylvania State University Press. 4-21
Susan D. Crafts, Daniel Cavicchi and Charles Keil. 1993. My Music: Explorations of Music in Daily Life. Wesleyan University Press. 89-117.
Kathleen Marie Higgins. 2012. The Music Between Us: Is Music a Universal Language? The University of Chicago Press. 33-41.
Tad Lathrop. 2003. This Business of Music Marketing & Promotion. 103-210
Vic Hyland. 2012. Notes on Business - The Business of Music and the Music of Business. 57-79.
